The first programme in the new series of O Flaen Dy Lygaid follows four Welsh soldiers who are members of the 2nd battalion - The Royal Welsh regiment and takes a look at their personal lives.
The programme follows the four soldiers as they train with their battalion at their camp in Tidworth and on their return to Wales after their tour of duty in Iraq.
Sergeant Major Dai Rees, from Penygroes, Carmarthenshire, has been in the army for twenty years. Although he enjoys his job and is very proud of his rank in the army, Dai has seen a change over the past twenty years, with more periods of fighting.
“The lads in the army are like brothers because they live together 24/7, and that’s what’s hard. That’s what makes the army unique,” he says.
Private Terry Francis is from Harlech. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t know the real reason for the war in Iraq,” he admits. “But we just have to carry on. It’s just a job to me, and I’m paid to be here. I enjoy what I do...”
Worry is one obvious emotion among the families of soldiers back home while they are abroad fighting. But Terry’s mother admits she has been surprised at another feeling. “What surprised me was that I felt proud,” says Teresa Francis. “I didn’t think that I’d feel so very proud of Terry. The fear is still there but I feel an equal feeling of pride.”
© 2008 S4C
O Gymru / Made in Wales